FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 28, 2017) -- Fishing tournament sponsors who launch from a ramp or marina at a Kentucky state park must first register the tournament and obtain a permit if more than 25 boats participate.

These larger tournaments must register through the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ Online Tournament Schedule site and obtain a permit from the Kentucky Department of Parks.  

“This announcement is a request from the Kentucky Department of Parks to remind fishing tournament organizers of this regulation and register on our tournament scheduling site,” said Jeff Ross, assistant director of Fisheries for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “They must register with the Kentucky Department of Parks for a special fishing tournament permit within 15 days of registering the tournament on our site.”

Ross said users of the state park ramps for tournaments larger than 25 boats must follow procedures specific to state park ramps. “It helps the Department of Parks prepare for large tournaments held on their facilities and avoid ramp conflicts,” he said.
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Contact the Kentucky Department of Parks at 1-800-255-7275 to obtain a special use permit. The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Tournament Scheduling site is located online at fw.ky.gov. Search under the keywords, “Tournament Fishing.”

FRANKFORT, KY. (Feb. 28, 2017) – Today Attorney General Andy Beshear announced a Greenup County man has been arrested and charged with 20 counts of possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor, two counts of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, and three counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

On Monday, Feb. 27, investigators with Beshear’s Cyber Crimes Unit arrested 52 year-old Craig Nelson Viars at his home in Argillite, Ky. following a two week investigation.

The investigation into Viars began when Beshear’s Office became aware of someone sharing sexually explicit images of minors over the Internet and investigators traced the activity to Viars’s residence.

After the execution of a search warrant at Viars’s residence the morning of Feb. 27, several computer hard drives were found that contained hundreds of images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit acts.

Viars, who is listed on the Kentucky Sex Offender Registry and is a convicted felon, was also found to be in possession of handguns and rifles in violation of state and federal law.

Viars is lodged in the Greenup County Detention Center and will appear in Greenup District Court on Wed. March 1. No bond has been set at this time.

The Greenup County Commonwealth’s Attorney and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky will prosecute this case.

The Cyber Crimes Unit was assisted by the Kentucky State Police Post 14, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

“Our office is constantly working with local, state and federal law enforcement officials to ensure our communities and children are safe,” said Beshear. “Protecting children from sexual abuse and taking those who are exploiting children off the streets is one of our top priorities.”

This arrest is part of Operation Shielded Child, an initiative by Attorney General Beshear’s Department of Criminal Investigations to identify, investigate and arrest those who would do harm to children.

In 2016, the Cyber Crimes Unit arrested more online child predators than any year in the history of the office. The number of arrests, indictments and convictions total nearly 80.

​By Wes Feese
Media Relations, Adair County Schools
 
Adair County High School students in National Honor Society and Beta Club hosted an appreciation luncheon for teachers at the school Tuesday.  According to the clubs’ members, the annual event serves as an opportunity to give something back to the educators who mentor and inspire them on a daily basis.
 
“Our teachers do so much for us so we want to be able to do something for them,” says junior Jennifer Caldwell, who serves as the clubs’ secretary and treasurer.  “They put up with us every single day so it’s nice to return the favor.”
 
The clubs used their own funds to purchase most of the food for the meal, and the students brought in drinks, side dishes, and homemade desserts to complete the impressive spread. 
 
Dawn Baker and Sheila Willis serve as joint sponsors of the two clubs, which require members to maintain high grade point averages, provide services to the community, and exhibit exemplary behavior.  “They did an outstanding job with the lunch,” Willis says.  “These are great kids and I am really proud of them.”

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 28, 2017) – Attorney General Andy Beshear today announced a multimillion dollar settlement with a national mortgage recording company that will provide Kentucky homeowners with some of the best protections in the country.

The settlement resolves claims against MERSCORP Holdings Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc., or MERS, over allegations the company named itself as the mortgagee in public land records, thereby hiding the identity of the big banks who were the actual owners of the mortgages, while also failing to monitor the conduct of those banks.

In addition to new protections for Kentucky homeowners, the settlement will result in Beshear returning $2.8 million to the state’s General Fund. Beshear is recommending lawmakers use the $2.8 million to support affordable housing, legal aid foreclosure work and to help the budgets of local county clerks.

MERS was created in 1995 to enable the mortgage industry to evade state recording fees, allow for the rapid sale and securitization of mortgages, and shorten the time it takes to pursue foreclosure actions. The company’s corporate shareholders included, among others, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Mortgage Bankers Association. In mid-2016, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), a finance company that owns exchanges and clearinghouses for financial and commodity markets including the New York Stock Exchange, acquired a majority stake in MERSCORP Holdings.

“The mortgages of hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians are registered on the MERS database,” Beshear said. “This settlement brings a measure of much-needed transparency and accountability to a private mortgage registry that too often operates behind closed doors. Kentuckians will now have among the best protections in this process as this settlement imposes certain requirements on MERS to ensure that its information is accessible and accurate.”

While several state attorneys general have sued MERS and/or its member banks for their conduct related to their use of the MERS System, Kentucky’s settlement represents the largest state attorney general recovery against MERS itself, Beshear said.

MERS came under heavy scrutiny for its role in the national housing market crisis and entered into a Consent Decree with federal regulators in 2011 to address its conduct. The Commonwealth alleged that MERS violated the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act by obscuring and not monitoring the practices of its member banks.

Actions included foreclosing in the name of MERS instead of the actual owner or servicer of the mortgage; assigning the mortgage after foreclosure proceedings had already started; using employees of its member banks as signing officers to act in MERS’ name; and failing to ensure that the data on the MERS system was accurate.

Beshear said the settlement puts in place penalties that will be levied against MERS if it violates its obligations to Kentucky homeowners.

• If MERS files a foreclosure in its own name in Kentucky, the company will pay the Commonwealth $10,000.
• Each time MERS assigns a mortgage out of if its name to a foreclosing bank after the foreclosure has been filed in court, the company must pay $1,000 to the Commonwealth. This relief penalizes MERS when its members rush foreclosure proceedings without assigning the mortgage to its proper owner beforehand.
• MERS, for a period of 5 years, will conduct document reviews of at least 100 Kentucky mortgages annually to confirm that only properly appointed signing officers are taking action on behalf of MERS.
• MERS will provide auditing and data reconciliation reports to Beshear’s office for 5 years, allowing his office to determine whether the company is accurately tracking the transactions of its members.

While the settlement does not preclude banks from using the MERS System, Beshear will partner with county clerks to provide Kentuckians information on how the online database works.
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“Similar to my recommendation that funds from the OxyContin settlement go to support drug treatment centers across the state, I’m asking lawmakers to use money from this settlement to assist Kentuckians with affordable housing and legal aid, along with supporting the budgets of our local county clerks who were affected financially by the actions of MERS,” Beshear said.

Sherry Lynn Pickett, of Russell Springs was one of eight appointed by Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin to the Commonwealth Council on Development Disabilities.

Pickett is a substitute teacher at Russell County Schools. Pickett will represent parents/guardians of children with development disabilities. She will serve for a term expiring July 16th, 2019.

Congratulations to Sherry!

​Story courtesy of lakercountry.com

The fire department responded just before 2:00 p.m. yesterday to property owned by Brad Butcher of Somerset. According to Assistant Fire Chief Marty Kazuke, the fire was ignited from embers from a small camp fire burning brush. The fire extended into a thick wooded area, burning approximately an acre before it was brought under control.

Firemen were on scene for about an hour.

Kazuke ask that WJRS News reminds listeners that the spring open burning regulations are no in effect. It is illegal to burn anything outside between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., and not within 150 feet of a wood line.

​Story courtesy of lakercountry.com

Judge Executive Michael Lee Stephen’s Office would like to inform the community that the Adair County Annex Building Basement will be open tonight for advance sheltering in anticipation of severe weather expected tonight through Wednesday morning. Emergency Management Director Mike Keltner asked that individuals keep an eye on the weather and in the instance of severe weather, urge citizens that do not have adequate shelter to take advantage of the building prior to the event.